Byomjatrir Diary
Encyclopedia
"Byomjatrir Diary" was the first story of Professor Shanku
series by India
n writer Satyajit Ray
. It was first published in Sandesh
, edited by Ray himself, in 1961. Ray included this story in his first collection of Professor Shanku stories, Professor Shanku, in 1965. The story follows Professor Trilokeshwar Shanku, a scientist and inventor, who voyaged to Mars
and after being attacked by the Martian
s, fled to a planet named Tafa, where the foolish inhabitants welcomed him cordially and made him a citizen of their planet.
In "Byomjatrir Diary", 11 of Professor Shanku’s 1093 fictional inventions are mentioned. Most notable of these inventions are a rocket to Mars, Bidhushekhar the Robot and a pill called Botika Indica. Originally the story was not written as a part of the series as Ray did not have any intention to write a sequel of it. The next story of the series was published three years later.
, a children's magazine from Calcutta, edited by Ray himself, as a serial in monthly instalment that began appearing in September 1961 and continued to November 1961. At the time of writing or serialisation of the story, Ray had no intention to write a sequel of it. The next story of the series, "Professor Shanku o Egypiso Atonko", was published some three years later. Ray included the story in his first collection of Professor Shanku stories, Professor Shanku, in 1965. It was later included in the Shanku Samagra, the complete collection of Professor Shanku stories.
Professor Shanku
Professor Shanku is a fictional scientist created by Satyajit Ray in a series of Bangla science fiction books. His full name is Trilokeshwar Shanku, and by occupation, he is an inventor. He is the son of Dr. Tripureshwar Shanku...
series by India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n writer Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
. It was first published in Sandesh
Sandesh (magazine)
Sandesh is a Bengali children's magazine. The periodical was first published by Upendrakishore Raychowdhury in 1913 through his publishing company, M/s U. Ray and Sons. After the death of Upendrakishore Roychowdhury in 1915, his eldest son Sukumar Ray succeeded as the editor of the magazine in...
, edited by Ray himself, in 1961. Ray included this story in his first collection of Professor Shanku stories, Professor Shanku, in 1965. The story follows Professor Trilokeshwar Shanku, a scientist and inventor, who voyaged to Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
and after being attacked by the Martian
Martian
As an adjective, the term martian is used to describe anything pertaining to the planet Mars.However, a Martian is more usually a hypothetical or fictional native inhabitant of the planet Mars. Historically, life on Mars has often been hypothesized, although there is currently no solid evidence of...
s, fled to a planet named Tafa, where the foolish inhabitants welcomed him cordially and made him a citizen of their planet.
In "Byomjatrir Diary", 11 of Professor Shanku’s 1093 fictional inventions are mentioned. Most notable of these inventions are a rocket to Mars, Bidhushekhar the Robot and a pill called Botika Indica. Originally the story was not written as a part of the series as Ray did not have any intention to write a sequel of it. The next story of the series was published three years later.
Plot summary
The story begins as a poor man approaches the editor of Sandesh with a journal by Professor Shanku, a scientist who was disappeared 15 years ago. The editor learned from the diary that the scientist, despite being mocked by his neighbour Abinashbabu was getting prepared for a voyage to Mars. He also invented a robot that he called Bidhushekhar. Later the Professor, along with Bidhushekhar, his servant Prahlad and his pet cat Newton, landed in Mars, where they were attacked by an army of Martians. They escaped from Mars and subsequently lost their way in space. After many days of wondering, they arrived in Tafa, an unknown planet inhabited by the “first civilised humans of the solar system.” Unlike the Martians, the inhabitants of Tafa welcomed the strangers in a hearty manner and made Professor Shanku their fellow citizen. The editor wanted to publish the journal in his magazine, but later copying the contents he found the diary was destroyed by a swarm of ants.Publication history
The story, written and illustrated by Ray, was originally published in SandeshSandesh (magazine)
Sandesh is a Bengali children's magazine. The periodical was first published by Upendrakishore Raychowdhury in 1913 through his publishing company, M/s U. Ray and Sons. After the death of Upendrakishore Roychowdhury in 1915, his eldest son Sukumar Ray succeeded as the editor of the magazine in...
, a children's magazine from Calcutta, edited by Ray himself, as a serial in monthly instalment that began appearing in September 1961 and continued to November 1961. At the time of writing or serialisation of the story, Ray had no intention to write a sequel of it. The next story of the series, "Professor Shanku o Egypiso Atonko", was published some three years later. Ray included the story in his first collection of Professor Shanku stories, Professor Shanku, in 1965. It was later included in the Shanku Samagra, the complete collection of Professor Shanku stories.